The opening programme on the 1925 mentioned above, was Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” and live entertainment on stage.
The Wurlitzer organ Opus 1066 was shipped to the Palace from the Rudolph Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda in May 1925. It was later repossessed and rebuilt as Opus 2236 for radio station WMCA in New York City, to whom it was shipped on 16th September 1941. As mentioned above, it has now been scattered about the country.
Here are details of the organ which was in the Warner Theatre:
Wurlitzer 3Manual/13Rank, Style 240, Opus#2153. It was shipped from the Rudolph Wurlitzer factory, North Tonawanda on 7th March 1931.
It was removed from the Warner Theatre in 1969 and installed in Gray’s Armory, Cleveland, OH in January 1972. Since then the instrument has been enlarged with the addition of another 5Ranks of pipes and a piano, taken from Opus#935 which was originally installed in the State Theatre, Cleveland, OH
The current Wurlitzer 3Manual/18Rank Opus 1524 theatre pipe organ is enlarged to this size from the original 3Manual/10Rank Style 235 SP installation.
Since North Tonawanda was the home of the Rudolph Wurlitzer organ factory, Wurlitzer used the Riviera’s organ, with its highly decorated console, as a demonstration model to show off all their special features.
When first opened in 1920, Sheas North Park Theatre was equipped with a Wurlitzer 2Manual/6Rank theatre pipe organ Opus 365. However it was repossed on 27th March 1926 and removed to the Lyric Theatre, Louisville, KY. It is now in Albany. NY.
In 1915 (two years after opening) a Beman Symphonie organ was installed to accompany the silent movies. Its current status is unknown, but I’m sure it is not located in the theatre today.
The headers for this theatre need updating as follows;
Architectural Style : Adam
Chain: Loew's
Architect: Thomas W. Lamb
In 1900 the Orpheum replaced the Music Hall when the auditorium was totally turned around, now with a new stage and proscenium at the north end. For 15 years the Orpheum was a leading vaudeville theatre.
In 1915 Marcus Loew acquired the site. The theatre was gutted – only the north and south exterior walls are original from its days as the Music Hall. It opened on 20th January 1916 with 7 ‘family’ vaudeville acts. A Frazee 3 Manual/25 Rank Opus. 30. theatre pipe organ was installed (which had a reputation of having a notoriously slow action). The auditorium was in an early Adam style design by the architect Thomas Lamb, the proscenium being back-lit which was unusual for a Lamb theatre.
The Orpheum played movies for many years, sorry, I don’t know when these stopped, but in the 1970’s it was the home for Sarah Caldwell’s Opera Co. of Boston before they found a new home at Keith’s Memorial Theater.
Its opening seating capacity was 2,927, today as a concert hall it seats 2,763.
Looking at street maps of San Clemente, travelling South on El Camino Real, the first theatre you would have seen would be the Casino on the corner of cross street W. Avenida Pico.
Travelling further south one block on the corner of the next street off to the right Boca de La Playa is the Miramar/San Clemente Theatre.
No sorry, as I stated above, there is only the San Clemente Theater listed in the 3 year’s FDY that I have. Maybe another contributer on here has FDY for 1937 thru 1940?
I have it listed in Film Daily Yearbooks, 1941 and 1952 as the San Clemente Theater. FDY for 1941 gives a seating capacity of 800 and in 1952 it is listed with 650 seats. The address given is Highway 101. It is the only theatre listed in the town of San Clemente.
I went by there last June (2004) and as I was taking photographs a guy came out from the car dealership across the road and asked ‘why are you taking photo’s that dump for? The sooner its torn down the better’. I just told him that it is an important part of the local history of the community and something should be done to get it open again in some form or another. He just walked away swearing, as if I was some kinda ‘nut’.
I checked out the actual street address and I can confirm lostmemory’s posting that it is located at 1598 El Camino Real, on the corner of Boca de La Playa.
I wonder if it opened as the El Hidelgo Theater, became known as the San Clemente Theater and finally closed as the Miramar Theater?
The building looked closed up and un-used, to my eyes.
RHSottSpencer;
I stand corrected by your superior local knowledge.
Just for the record I have several Kinematograph Yearbooks. Listing for Pontardulais (Glam) is given; Tivoli (no further details in the Yearbooks for 1937 and 1944). The 1947 Yearbook gives the Tivoli, prices 9d to 2/3d.
In the Kine. Yearbooks for 1963 and 1966 the cinema listed for Pontardulais is; Memorial and Welfare Hall, (Western Electric Sound) Phone 372. Two changes weekly. 500 seats. Prices 1s. to 3s. Cinemascope. One show daily. Booked at hall. Proscenium width 30ft. Screen 28ft by 14ft. Station: Pontardulais
Is the Memorial and Welfare Hall the former Tivoli?
Thats a great postcard view. I wonder if the low building just beyond the Warner Theatre building is the former first 1913 built Iris Theatre? It’s an empty plot of land there nowadays so perhaps we will never know.
That would be kewl. S. CA’s climate is one reason I will be there. I will be in LA from 12th Jan until 30th Jan and San Francisco from 31st Jan until 7th Feb.
e-mail me (link on my profile) if interested in meeting up anyone?
Thanks br91975;
I know for sure it was closed on one of my visits in the mid 1990’s and was open again on my next visit in 1998. Maybe it closed in 1994 and had re-opened by March 1996.
It is still currently operating, and I hope to go see a movie there when I visit LA in a couple of weeks time (depending whats on offer, that is!).
Thanks for your kind remarks. It’s difficult doing research from so far away (as I am in the UK), but I try my best when I am over in the USA to locate as much info as I can on theatres. I think I have exhausted my knowledge on the Ricardo Montalban for the moment though.
I remember Lux soap over here in the UK in the 1950’s, in fact I think it could still be on sale in a few outlets. Of course we had the BBC which doesn’t allow sponsership of its programmes, well it didn’t back in the ‘old days’.
I too just bought Rosemary Lord’s book for the older photo’s, being a ‘coffee-table’ type book, its not the type you pick up and actually ‘read’ is it!
Glad we finally got the Helen Hayes play title right! As they say ‘A picture never lies’. Great photo. Thanks
When it first opened in 1931 as the Studio Theatre, it was billed on the marquee as being ‘The Worlds Most Unusual Theatre’. The new concept was that it was the first ‘automatic’ theatre in the area. It had no ushers, just a cashier, a manager and a projectionist. Patrons passed through a turnstyle after purchasing their tickets. The turnstyle operated automatic doors and candy, cigarettes and drinks were sold via coin-operated machines.
It closed as the Holly Theatre in the summer of 1986.
Great photo Christian. Again it is one I haven’t seen before.
As Joe Vogal mentions above, the Marcal Theater opened in 1925, it had a seating capacity of 964.
It was operated by Fox Theatres for many years and in 1949 architect S.Charles Lee drew up plans to renovate the theatre, although it is not certain whether this happened.
In 1983 the LA Times did a review on the movie theatres of Los Angeles and here is what they said about the World Theatre, Hollywood;
‘Well – Don’t go alone and check your seat before sitting down. This is a good theatre for seeing action and horror films. The audience keeps up a continuous barrage of commentary. These people dont just watch a film, they participate’.
You got 3 movies for $2 admission, running continuously daily from 12 noon until 4am and audiences ranged from film buffs, male hustlers to homeless street people. It closed as a movie theatre in the Summer of 1986.
The Hitching Post Theatre, Hollywood. operated from the mid 1940’s until the mid-1950’s. Film Daily Yearbooks give a seating capacity of 400.
Children were encouraged to attend the Saturday morning performances wearing their cowboy outfits, but had to check-in their cap pistols in the lobby.
There is a great photo of the kids in their outfits queuing up to enter the theatre. On the marquee the attractions are; Charles Starrett in “Outlaws of the Rockies” plus “Indian Agent” with Tim Holt. A notice on the box office window states ‘Guns must be checked inside’.
The site of the theatre, directly across from the Hollywood Pantages Theater is now the open piazza which leads to the Red-Line Metro station.
The Film Daily Yearbook, 1941 gives a seating capacity of the Cabarrus Theatre as 700. The FDY, 1950 lists a seating capacity of 1,056.
My Film Daily Yearbooks, 1941 and 1950 list the Lyric Theatre, Louisville as being a Negro theatre.
lostmemory;
I will add the Lyric Theater, Lexington, KY as a new theatre on this database and include your details given above. OK.
The opening programme on the 1925 mentioned above, was Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” and live entertainment on stage.
The Wurlitzer organ Opus 1066 was shipped to the Palace from the Rudolph Wurlitzer factory in North Tonawanda in May 1925. It was later repossessed and rebuilt as Opus 2236 for radio station WMCA in New York City, to whom it was shipped on 16th September 1941. As mentioned above, it has now been scattered about the country.
The original seating capacity of the Warner Theatre when it opened in 1931 was 2,584. Today it has a capacity of 2,506
At 75 feet, the proscenium was the widest Rapp & Rapp had ever designed.
DavidStear;
Here are details of the organ which was in the Warner Theatre:
Wurlitzer 3Manual/13Rank, Style 240, Opus#2153. It was shipped from the Rudolph Wurlitzer factory, North Tonawanda on 7th March 1931.
It was removed from the Warner Theatre in 1969 and installed in Gray’s Armory, Cleveland, OH in January 1972. Since then the instrument has been enlarged with the addition of another 5Ranks of pipes and a piano, taken from Opus#935 which was originally installed in the State Theatre, Cleveland, OH
The current Wurlitzer 3Manual/18Rank Opus 1524 theatre pipe organ is enlarged to this size from the original 3Manual/10Rank Style 235 SP installation.
Since North Tonawanda was the home of the Rudolph Wurlitzer organ factory, Wurlitzer used the Riviera’s organ, with its highly decorated console, as a demonstration model to show off all their special features.
When first opened in 1920, Sheas North Park Theatre was equipped with a Wurlitzer 2Manual/6Rank theatre pipe organ Opus 365. However it was repossed on 27th March 1926 and removed to the Lyric Theatre, Louisville, KY. It is now in Albany. NY.
In 1915 (two years after opening) a Beman Symphonie organ was installed to accompany the silent movies. Its current status is unknown, but I’m sure it is not located in the theatre today.
The headers for this theatre need updating as follows;
Architectural Style : Adam
Chain: Loew's
Architect: Thomas W. Lamb
In 1900 the Orpheum replaced the Music Hall when the auditorium was totally turned around, now with a new stage and proscenium at the north end. For 15 years the Orpheum was a leading vaudeville theatre.
In 1915 Marcus Loew acquired the site. The theatre was gutted – only the north and south exterior walls are original from its days as the Music Hall. It opened on 20th January 1916 with 7 ‘family’ vaudeville acts. A Frazee 3 Manual/25 Rank Opus. 30. theatre pipe organ was installed (which had a reputation of having a notoriously slow action). The auditorium was in an early Adam style design by the architect Thomas Lamb, the proscenium being back-lit which was unusual for a Lamb theatre.
The Orpheum played movies for many years, sorry, I don’t know when these stopped, but in the 1970’s it was the home for Sarah Caldwell’s Opera Co. of Boston before they found a new home at Keith’s Memorial Theater.
Its opening seating capacity was 2,927, today as a concert hall it seats 2,763.
Sorry here is the correct link to the 1925 map
View link
The California Theater opened pre-1922.
Here is a vintage view View link
On this 1925 map View link there is a Venice Theatre #33 located on the north boardwalk at the land end opposite the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster #43
I have a feeling this is the California Theater.
Looking at street maps of San Clemente, travelling South on El Camino Real, the first theatre you would have seen would be the Casino on the corner of cross street W. Avenida Pico.
Travelling further south one block on the corner of the next street off to the right Boca de La Playa is the Miramar/San Clemente Theatre.
That’s a very interesting resume of the San Clemente history lostmemory. Thanks for posting it.
Let’s hope someone on here can supply more details on the Casino and Miramar Theaters.
No sorry, as I stated above, there is only the San Clemente Theater listed in the 3 year’s FDY that I have. Maybe another contributer on here has FDY for 1937 thru 1940?
I have it listed in Film Daily Yearbooks, 1941 and 1952 as the San Clemente Theater. FDY for 1941 gives a seating capacity of 800 and in 1952 it is listed with 650 seats. The address given is Highway 101. It is the only theatre listed in the town of San Clemente.
I went by there last June (2004) and as I was taking photographs a guy came out from the car dealership across the road and asked ‘why are you taking photo’s that dump for? The sooner its torn down the better’. I just told him that it is an important part of the local history of the community and something should be done to get it open again in some form or another. He just walked away swearing, as if I was some kinda ‘nut’.
I checked out the actual street address and I can confirm lostmemory’s posting that it is located at 1598 El Camino Real, on the corner of Boca de La Playa.
I wonder if it opened as the El Hidelgo Theater, became known as the San Clemente Theater and finally closed as the Miramar Theater?
The building looked closed up and un-used, to my eyes.
Two small photographs I took can be seen here:– http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=11305
The Stuart Galbraith IV. book ‘Motor City Marquees’ gives the architects of the Dawn Theater as Feldman & Seeler
RHSottSpencer;
I stand corrected by your superior local knowledge.
Just for the record I have several Kinematograph Yearbooks. Listing for Pontardulais (Glam) is given; Tivoli (no further details in the Yearbooks for 1937 and 1944). The 1947 Yearbook gives the Tivoli, prices 9d to 2/3d.
In the Kine. Yearbooks for 1963 and 1966 the cinema listed for Pontardulais is; Memorial and Welfare Hall, (Western Electric Sound) Phone 372. Two changes weekly. 500 seats. Prices 1s. to 3s. Cinemascope. One show daily. Booked at hall. Proscenium width 30ft. Screen 28ft by 14ft. Station: Pontardulais
Is the Memorial and Welfare Hall the former Tivoli?
Thats a great postcard view. I wonder if the low building just beyond the Warner Theatre building is the former first 1913 built Iris Theatre? It’s an empty plot of land there nowadays so perhaps we will never know.
That would be kewl. S. CA’s climate is one reason I will be there. I will be in LA from 12th Jan until 30th Jan and San Francisco from 31st Jan until 7th Feb.
e-mail me (link on my profile) if interested in meeting up anyone?
Thanks br91975;
I know for sure it was closed on one of my visits in the mid 1990’s and was open again on my next visit in 1998. Maybe it closed in 1994 and had re-opened by March 1996.
It is still currently operating, and I hope to go see a movie there when I visit LA in a couple of weeks time (depending whats on offer, that is!).
Christian;
Thanks for your kind remarks. It’s difficult doing research from so far away (as I am in the UK), but I try my best when I am over in the USA to locate as much info as I can on theatres. I think I have exhausted my knowledge on the Ricardo Montalban for the moment though.
I remember Lux soap over here in the UK in the 1950’s, in fact I think it could still be on sale in a few outlets. Of course we had the BBC which doesn’t allow sponsership of its programmes, well it didn’t back in the ‘old days’.
I too just bought Rosemary Lord’s book for the older photo’s, being a ‘coffee-table’ type book, its not the type you pick up and actually ‘read’ is it!
Glad we finally got the Helen Hayes play title right! As they say ‘A picture never lies’. Great photo. Thanks
When it first opened in 1931 as the Studio Theatre, it was billed on the marquee as being ‘The Worlds Most Unusual Theatre’. The new concept was that it was the first ‘automatic’ theatre in the area. It had no ushers, just a cashier, a manager and a projectionist. Patrons passed through a turnstyle after purchasing their tickets. The turnstyle operated automatic doors and candy, cigarettes and drinks were sold via coin-operated machines.
It closed as the Holly Theatre in the summer of 1986.
Great photo Christian. Again it is one I haven’t seen before.
As Joe Vogal mentions above, the Marcal Theater opened in 1925, it had a seating capacity of 964.
It was operated by Fox Theatres for many years and in 1949 architect S.Charles Lee drew up plans to renovate the theatre, although it is not certain whether this happened.
In 1983 the LA Times did a review on the movie theatres of Los Angeles and here is what they said about the World Theatre, Hollywood;
‘Well – Don’t go alone and check your seat before sitting down. This is a good theatre for seeing action and horror films. The audience keeps up a continuous barrage of commentary. These people dont just watch a film, they participate’.
You got 3 movies for $2 admission, running continuously daily from 12 noon until 4am and audiences ranged from film buffs, male hustlers to homeless street people. It closed as a movie theatre in the Summer of 1986.
The Hitching Post Theatre, Hollywood. operated from the mid 1940’s until the mid-1950’s. Film Daily Yearbooks give a seating capacity of 400.
Children were encouraged to attend the Saturday morning performances wearing their cowboy outfits, but had to check-in their cap pistols in the lobby.
There is a great photo of the kids in their outfits queuing up to enter the theatre. On the marquee the attractions are; Charles Starrett in “Outlaws of the Rockies” plus “Indian Agent” with Tim Holt. A notice on the box office window states ‘Guns must be checked inside’.
The site of the theatre, directly across from the Hollywood Pantages Theater is now the open piazza which leads to the Red-Line Metro station.